


Sleepers

by LondonLane86



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-30 13:55:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3939319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LondonLane86/pseuds/LondonLane86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They are called Sleepers. They are extraordinarily gifted humans with supernatural abilities. But there's someone they should fear, something they shouldn't have trusted, and he's going to eliminate them, once and for all. You can't escape the threat when it's on the inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Before

_The crowd tightened as Parker wedged herself between two women and grabbed the pole for support. They shot her an annoyed look, but she shrugged it off. The subway wasn't her favorite means of travel, but today she didn't have a choice. Her car hadn't started this morning, and it was either try and fix it, or be late to class._   
  
_When people started to exit the train, she found a seat along the sides and dropped down into it, putting her head in her hands. One more stop and she'd be there. One more stop and she could ease this headache._   
  
_“Hey,” someone called._   
  
_Parker lifted her head, spotting a kid in baggy pants and an oversized hoodie, staring at her._   
  
_“Me?” she asked._   
  
_He nodded, and flexed his fingers, as though they were stiff. He moved closer, leaning in. “Do you have a cigarette?” he wondered. “I've got a lighter.”_   
  
_She shook her head. “I don't smoke, and you shouldn't either.” She squinted. “Are your hands all right?”_   
  
_“Fine,” he replied, flashing her a smile. “I'm Conner.”_   
  
_“Parker,” she said._   
  
_Conner touched his fingers again. He caught her staring and shoved them in the pockets of his jeans “I'm fine, really. They're just cold. Bad circulation, ya know?”_   
  
_When the train jerked to a stop, she looked out the window. “Well, this is me. It was nice to meet you, Conner.”_   
  
_He nodded in response._   
  
_Parker stood, and as the doors slid open, cool air wrapped around her. Before she stepped off the train, Conner's voice stopped her._   
  
_“Do you still get headaches?”_   
  
_She stared at him, twisting her blonde hair around her finger nervously. She moved around the people trying to leave, and sat back down next to him, her eyes wide._   
  
_“What did you say?” she asked._   
  
_“Your headaches,” Conner replied. “Do you still get them? How bad are they? I saw you squinting before. They must be bad, which means the visions hit you hard.”_   
  
_Parker's stomach knotted. She shook her head. “I don't know what you're talking about. I have to get going.”_   
  
_She rose, and he grabbed her arm._   
  
_“You missed your stop,” he told her. “Please, sit down, and I'll explain how I know what you can do.”_   
_“You can't know something like that.”_   
  
_Conner's lips twitched. “Humans can't, but we can.”_   
  
_Parker looked skeptical._   
  
_“We're called Sleepers. Our leader Trevor's idea. When he was coming up with a name for the team, he dissected every piece of information he had about any of us in the beginning – we started with nothing, but when a traumatic event occurred, we woke up. Some of us are still struggling, unable to gain access to powers.”_   
  
_Parker listened intently, her green eyes narrowed. When he was finished, she frowned. “This is a joke, right? Well, it's a good one.”_   
  
_The train stopped, and Conner stood. “Believe what you want, but you'll be convinced soon enough. I'll see you around, Fox.”_   
  
_Then he was gone._   
  
_Weird, Parker thought. She sighed as the train moved again. She'd missed her stop, but she could still make it to class if she got off at the next one. So, once the train stopped again, she ran through the subway terminal, and up the steps into the daylight._   
  
_The headache was lessening as she walked through the city. When Parker reached the parking lot of the college, she saw some kids leaning against their cars, smoking. She searched for Conner, unsure of why she expected to see him there. As she moved around the vehicles and people, someone called her name._   
  
_Whirling around, she looked for the source, but didn't see anyone. Shrugging, she trudged through the parking lot and into the first building._


	2. The Body

“Where is he now?”  
  
A gasping, ragged breath, then: “He's in a barn, with his back to me, and he's limping. I think he either fell or she stabbed him. I'm hoping it's the latter. Oh, shit.”  
  
“What?” he asked, his voice tight.  
  
“He turned around. God, Trevor. It's like he knows I'm there, crouched in the corner. Get me the fuck out of here. Please.”  
  
“Stay calm, Parker. He can't hurt you, remember.”  
  
Her breathing slowed, and her head tipped back, though she never opened her eyes. Her body trembled. When she spoke, her voice was full of relief. “Okay, he...he didn't see me. There was a cat.”  
  
“Is he still there?” Trevor asked.  
  
“He's leaving,” she whispered. “He's gone.” She sounded exhausted.  
Hands touched her face, and warmth flooded her body, fueled her. She opened her eyes, and the room slowly came back into focus: a small, cold basement with two chairs and a desk. Trevor frowned at her, his brown eyes hard. He extended a glass of water to her.  
  
“Drink this. Now, slowly, tell me what happened.”  
  
Parker's green eyes narrowed, and she put down the glass. “You know what happened. You've been right here the entire time. I was terrified, goddamn it. I've never felt that way before with a vision. There's something different about him.”  
  
Trevor sighed, leaned over, and placed his hand on top of hers. “He can't get to you here. You're safe. This house is secure. Even if he has––”  
  
“Even if he has abilities,” she finished. “I know. You explained that to me already.” She glanced at the door behind him. “Aren't you supposed to have another appointment?”  
  
Trevor smiled. “He should be here soon.” He noticed her expression. “Don't worry, we'll find whoever is doing this.”  
  
She wanted to believe that. “I don't just have visions for the hell of it, you know. There has to be some good I can do with them. But so far...”  
  
“They're still new. It sucks that we can't help everyone, but we try, and that counts for something.”  
Parker stood, almost knocking the chair over. She couldn't get out of there fast enough. Trevor never questioned her abrupt departures. He knew these abilities took a toll on her, mentally as well as physically. She looked at him. “It should count for so much more.”  
  
Then she pushed the door open, and went up the stairs  
  
“Another grueling session with Maxwell?” a voice asked.  
  
Parker glanced up as she shut the basement door. Conner Jensen stared at her from a few feet away. He grinned as she glared at him. She hated all the questions she got from him after being down there. Or from anyone, really. It felt like an invasion of privacy.  
  
“It always is,” she answered, walking past him. She rubbed her temples.  
  
“Bad vision?”  
  
She stopped, turned, and grimaced. “I can't seem to get a good read on him, or see his face. It's always shadowed by something.”  
  
“Maybe that means something,” Conner said. “He doesn't want you to see who he is, just what he's doing. Have you talked to Holt?”  
  
Cameron Holt was the resident former detective. He'd been called to a murder scene more than six months ago, and Trevor had been there, waiting for him. They talked, and after much convincing, Cameron had joined the team. His powers were still somewhere deep inside him, but Trevor had promised he would be able to access them.  
  
He hadn't yet, and that's not to say he didn't try. But after some time, Cam had become fed up with everything and walked out of the basement, refusing help. Until he ran into Conner, who had used his ability to manipulate him into going back.  
  
“He's still not speaking to you, is he?” Parker asked, smirking.  
  
“No,” Conner said. “I apologized, I don't know what more he wants from me.”  
  
“I'm not a guinea pig,” someone answered from behind them.  
  
Conner stiffened and turned. “Oh, hey, Cam. What's up?”  
  
“Jensen.” He nodded, pushing his brown hair away from his eyes. Then he glanced at Parker. “Fox.” His lips turned upward in a smile. “How are your sessions going?”  
  
Parker grinned. “Oh, you know, the same. I still know next to nothing about this guy. Have you been able to access anything yet?”  
  
Holt regarded her for a moment, frowning. “Not yet. Trevor's trying though. I know he just wants to help, and I know I shouldn't have left. But he's expecting me now.” He glared at Conner.  
  
When the basement door shut, Parker started to laugh. “I'm sorry,” she said. “But he's only been here a few months and you've already made an enemy out of him. We're the good guys.”  
  
“I realize that.” Conner rolled his eyes. “But what do you want me to do about it now? I tried to help him, and he got pissed.”  
  
“That's because you were an idiot,” Parker commented. “He's scared.”  
  
“We were all scared,” Conner told her. “I used my powers to calm him, to make him see we weren't going to hurt him.”  
  
“You can't manipulate people,” Parker told him. “You manipulate objects. So whatever the reason was that Cam went back, it had nothing to do with you. But he doesn't know that yet. You're going to tell him, or I will.”

* * *

  
  
As Parker headed back to her room, she thought about Cam. He'd been trying so hard. But the more he tried, the less he found. He was an empty vessel, and that bothered Parker more than she liked. Because she knew what it was like to be on that side, the side that wanted answers, but only ended up with more questions.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
She stopped, expecting to see Conner lurking. But when she turned around, it was Cam who had come down the hall, a frown settled in place as he stared at her. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall, waiting.  
  
Parker nodded. “How was the session?”  
  
His gray eyes swept over her face. “Trevor seemed distracted. He wasn't as focused as he was last time. I think he's given up on me.”  
  
“Trevor doesn't ever give up,” Parker said roughly. “He's the one that took you in.”  
  
“And I'm useless.” His voice rose. He pressed his hands against the door to her room and balled them into fists. “I don't know how he found me, or why, because I've done nothing to help any of you, or anyone.”  
  
“When I was little, I always knew I was different. You know all kids say that, but for me, it was true. The visions scared me at first – I thought I was losing my mind. But then I did some research, and I found out that there were others like me.”  
  
“Then Trevor found you.” Cam nodded. “That's how it goes, I've heard. He interrupted a crime scene to talk to me. Of course I didn't believe what he was saying – it was ridiculous.”  
  
Parker smiled slightly. “How did he convince you that he was telling the truth?”  
  
Cam returned the smile. He started to walk away from her, and she didn't move. She called out to him, and he turned, hands back in his pockets. Reaching up, he touched one of the lamps tacked to the wall.  
  
“You know what he's capable of,” Cam replied. “He probably used that little talent of his to get you, didn't he? Think about it.”  
  
When Trevor found her, Parker was in her car at the college she attended, in the middle of a vision. Minutes later, when she was able to focus again, she lifted her head from her steering wheel and saw a man staring at her through the window. He looked to be in his late thirties with short brown hair, and the most intense eyes she'd ever seen on another person.  
  
He asked her if she was okay, if her head was clear now.  
  
Only his lips didn't move.  
  
Momentarily stunned, Parker nodded.  
  
That was all it took.  
  
“Yes,” Parker answered. She hadn't thought about that day in a long time. She wanted to know more about Trevor––about how he had gained his powers, how he was able to persuade them to leave behind everything they knew and join him.  
  
“What did he say to you?” Cam pressed, coming down the hall again.  
  
“He asked me if my head was clear,” Parker told him. “That was all it took for me to listen to him. He expressed concern about my abilities and then revealed this idea he'd had to recruit others like me. He needed a team.”  
  
“For what?”  
  
Parker shook her head. “I had no idea. But a few months later, he asked me to do something with my gift. Something I didn't know I could do.”  
  
He waited.  
  
“Trevor asked me to tap into someone's mind, to force myself to have a vision. For information. I was scared to say no,” she admitted. “He could have dismissed me, sent me back to my old, cursed life.”  
  
“Is that what you think, that your life is cursed?” Cam wondered, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, Parker,” he said softly. He touched a strand of her blonde hair. “Your life is anything but cursed. You can do something extraordinary. You should be proud of that fact.”  
  
“Easy for you to say. You don't have to deal with this burden.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, God, Cam. I didn't mean that. I know you're trying. And Trevor wouldn't have sought you out unless he knew that you could do something, too.”  
  
He put a hand up. “It's fine, I'm just the odd one out. But I'll figure it out. I have to, if I want to stay here. I quit my job because of this, so I can't go back there. I just want Trevor to be right, to unlock whatever it is I can do.”  
  
“I'm afraid I can't do that, I can only give you so many sessions. Ultimately you have to be the one to unlock what you can do. You should try meditating, it might bring your power to the surface.” Trevor stood beside Cam, all authority and intensity gone from his face. He just looked tired now.  
  
“Well, they aren't working,” Cam shot back. Annoyance rolled off of him in thick waves. “Everyone else knows what they can do.”  
  
“Not everyone,” Trevor commented. “Archer is still in the dark.”  
  
Parker searched her mind. She knew everyone here. It was a small group. “The new member?”  
  
Trevor nodded. “I just came to find you two to tell you we're having a meeting tonight. Any idea where Conner's hiding?” He looked at Cam and smirked. “You know, I don't appreciate members fighting, or not working together. Whatever he's done, I'm sure he's sorry. He's the youngest on the team, after all. He doesn't know any better.”  
  
“He manipulated me into coming back.” Cam cracked his knuckles. “I don't like being used by anyone, let alone a kid with that ability.”  
  
Trevor's smirk widened. “That's interesting, because Conner doesn't possess that ability. What a clever boy.”  
  
“I don't understand.”  
  
“Conner wanted you to think that he persuaded you, when really all he did was speak with concern for another person, without any sort of push.” He looked at Cam. “You came back here because you wanted to know more, because you believed me. Conner thinks he can do a lot, but that's not true. He can manipulate objects, not people.”  
  
“Son of a bitch,” Cam exclaimed. “I guess I owe him an apology for getting so pissed. I think he even tried to explain that it wasn't what I thought, but I didn't listen.”  
  
“Good. Now, Parker, would you go find Conner?” Trevor asked. “He's around here somewhere. I know you ran into him when we were finished.”  
  
“Yes, sir.” Parker nodded.  
  
As Trevor disappeared down the hall, Cam grabbed her arm. “Mind if I join you? I think I need to have a few words with Conner.”  
  
“I don't mind. But can I ask you some things while we look for him?”  
  
“Only if I can ask you in return.”  
  
“Deal.” She smiled. “Okay, so I'm curious about something. Usually something has to happen in order for our powers to be accessed. And since yours haven't appeared yet, does that mean nothing bad happened to you?”  
  
Cam stopped. “It's nothing I want to discuss right now.”  
  
The silence that followed was heavy. It clung to them as they walked all the way back to the front of the house. They continuously checked rooms for Conner, but he wasn't in any of them. That worried Parker.  
  
“Maybe he went out,” Cam suggested.  
  
“Anyone who leaves tells Trevor,” replied Parker. “It's one of the rules. I thought you knew that.”  
  
“I forgot.”  
  
Parker was about to reply when a scream filled her ears. Then a gut-wrenching cry from near the main door. She and Cam ran down the hall, into the main room.  
  
A man with amber eyes stood and faced them, his hands trembling. Archer. There was a body at his feet; blood pooled around the head, mixed into dark hair, and dripped down the side of the boy's face.  
  
Parker put a hand over her mouth.  
  
“I didn't hurt him,” the man said. “I found him like this.”  
  
Conner.  
  
Trevor's voice then. Behind them. Getting closer. He was in the middle of saying something, but stopped. His next words came out in a pained whisper.  
  
“What have you done?”


	3. The Target

Parker stood in the basement, listening to the commotion upstairs. So many voices, saying so many different things about him. About Conner. About the body. When the door creaked open behind her, Parker thought for a fraction of a second that it was him.  
  
“Conner, could you just give me a second?”  
  
“It's me, Parker. Trevor wants to speak with you. Will you come with me?”  
  
An icy feeling crawled over her and she turned around to face the startling reality: Cam watched her, his eyes glassy. Neither moved for several moments. Until someone did. He came to her, and she buried her face in his chest.  
  
“No,” she whispered. “I don't want to see him. Not now. Not yet.”  
  
“Okay,” Cam said quietly. “They arrested him. I can't believe he did this—he's one of us. This isn't right.”  
  
Parker shut her eyes.  
  


* * *

 

“They what?” someone shouted.

  
Trevor frowned at the question. He regarded the speaker before replying. “They couldn't hold him.”

  
“Bullshit,” the man snarled. “He killed Conner, we all know that.”  
  
“No,” Trevor said coolly, “I know that he didn't. If he had, his thoughts would have been full of the crime. He wouldn't be able to think of anything else. Someone else did this. Someone who may still be here.”  
  
Parker watched this exchange carefully. She hesitated, then cleared her throat.  
  
“Is he coming back here?”  
  
Trevor glanced at her. There were five other people in this room. He hadn't looked at her since she came in, but he did now. He gave a slight nod.  
  
“In time,” he answered.  
  
There was a low grumble of disapproval throughout the room. The man who snapped at Trevor stood up.  
  
“This isn't right,” he commented. “You shouldn't be able to let a killer back in here. What the hell kind of leader does that?”  
  
“Sit down, Devon,” a woman with curly brown hair muttered. “This isn't about you. If Trevor thinks letting an innocent man come back to the only place he knows is right, then he should.”

  
“This is ridiculous,” Devon said. “If he comes back, he'll just kill us all.”  
  
“We have to trust our leader.”  
  
“But Rae—” Devon started.  
  
“Just shut up, okay?” Rae sighed. “This is a serious matter, I believe that. But you have to remember who Trevor is, and know who he places his trust in.”  
  
“We're a team,” Parker said.  
  
Cam nodded. “She's right. Trevor brought us together for a reason, and you guys have to remember that with any team, there will be causalities.”  
  
“This is not a war,” Devon snapped. “You're a detective, aren't you? Why don't you help?”  
  
Cam's eyes flicked with something, then it vanished. “You're wrong. I'm not a detective. Not anymore. I gave that up to come here, so I'd have no business getting involved in this. The right people have taken care of it.”  
  
“Are you crazy?” Devon asked, frowning. “Why would you give up a job where you protect people?”  
Gray eyes hardened and Cam's posture changed. “I don't believe I did give that up––not entirely. I think whatever I can do here will benefit me, as well as others.”  
  
“What is it that you do?” Rae asked quietly. “I've never seen you use any sort of powers in all the time you've been here.”  
  
“I'm still in the dark,” mumbled Cam, looking at her.  
  
“What does that mean?” Devon asked. He sounded annoyed.  
  
“I'm still searching,” he replied. Cam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Say, Trevor, do you have any aspirin?”  
  
“I do,” Rae answered. She dug through her bag and handed him a small bottle. “I always keep it on me, just in case.”  
  
“Thank you,” Cam said gently. After swallowing two pills, he smiled. “I just get these headaches. It's no problem.”  
  
Trevor watched him for a moment, then he cleared his throat. “It seems we've gotten a little off track here. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss how we feel about Conner's death. Placing blame on an innocent man isn't helpful.”  
  
“What if some of us don't want Robbins to come back?” Devon asked.  
  
Trevor's gaze hardened. “Then you don't trust me, and I can't have that. If you want to go, then go. I won't stop you.”  
  
“We're a small group,” Rae said softly. “If he goes, then we'll be weakened.”  
  
“Then we'll be one less,” Trevor responded. He glanced at Devon. “This has been your home for the past three years, and you've been very comfortable here, I've made certain of that. But the second I make a new decision that you don't agree with, you're going to leave? Archer is part of this team, whether you like it or not. So I suggest you take a night to sleep on it, and if you still want to go in the morning, then I will not stop you.”  
  
“Archer isn't the threat we should be looking at.” Parker's words made Cam shiver. She either didn't see his reaction, or chose to ignore it, continuing. “There is someone here, someone who murdered Conner without us seeing them. That is our goal. To find whoever did this.”  
  
 _Stay out of it_ , Trevor's voice.  _You've got too much to worry about with your killer. You don't need another one complicating things. Let the others handle it, please._  
  
“Everyone may leave,” Trevor said, as he stood. “We don't need to talk tonight. The wounds are still fresh.” His brown eyes slid to Parker, who was looking at Cam with a startled expression.  
  
“Trevor, he's bleeding––his nose.”  
  
Parker tipped Cam's head back.  
  
“I'm all right,” Cam said, batting her away. “This happens sometimes. These headaches hurt so much. I think they're the cause.”  
  
With Rae and Devon gone, it was just the three of them. Trevor bent so that he was eye-level with them. “I think you're half right, Cameron. And I think I may know the other reason. These just started, yes?”  
  
“Within the last week or so, I don't know.”  
  
Parker narrowed her eyes. “What are you getting at?”  
  
Trevor's eyes gleamed slightly, and a smile unfurled on his face. “I believe that this is part of the change, at least for you. Now concentrate.”  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Trevor rose, stepped behind the table, and picked up the aspirin bottle. Then threw it as hard as he could.  
  
Cam's head lowered, and his pupils dilated. He shut his eyes, then he was gone. When he appeared on the other side of the room, he looked disoriented. His eyes connected with Trevor. He tried to find the right words, but failed. He had no idea what to say, how to make sense of what just happened.  
  
“How did you know?” Parker whispered, wide-eyed.  
  
“I've been paying close attention to him.” Trevor sat across from them.  
  
“I've felt something building. It was small at first, barely there. But by the time I figured things out, Conner had been killed and I—”  
  
“Didn't want to become a suspect,” Parker finished. “Which you easily could have. We all could.”  
“There aren't many of us here,” Trevor reminded them. “We need to stick together, especially if someone is killing us off.”  
  
“Did you hear anyone?” Cam asked, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “I mean, their thoughts.”  
  
“I only heard Conner at first,” Trevor replied quietly. He leaned forward, and swept his dark hair out of his eyes. “He sounded bad. He was confused, terrified. At first I didn't understand. Because I didn't know why he felt like that. Then I heard someone else. Someone's thoughts under his.”  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
“The killer,” Cam supplied after some time. “Oh, Jesus Christ.”  
  
Trevor nodded and sat back. “I wasn't able to catch much. Though he was disorganized. I think this was his first kill, since it was so messy.” His brown eyes closed and he inhaled sharply. “At least that's what I was told.”  
  
“Do you think he meant to?” Parker asked. “Kill Conner, I mean.”  
  
“I think Conner got in his way,” Trevor murmured. “But now we have to find out who the intended target was.”


End file.
